And Teach Them How to Dream
by arysa13
Summary: Polly finally decides she wants to let her family be a part of her children's lives. Apparently that includes Archie. prompt: "Your sibling's kids have been calling me aunt/uncle since before we were dating, and they don't really see what all the fuss is about."
1. And Teach Them How to Dream

It's four years before Polly Cooper decides to let her family back into her life. Four years and she shows up on the Cooper's doorstep unannounced, a child's hand in each of her own.

Betty is home from college for the weekend, and she opens the door, thinking it will be Archie (he comes home almost every weekend too) only to find her estranged sister staring back at her.

"Mom!" Betty calls, staring at her sister's children, not waiting for Polly to say anything. Juniper is the spitting image of a young Cheryl Blossom, and Dagwood also has the Blossom look about him, though he carries more of his mother's features.

"Who is it, Betty?" Alice calls, her heels clicking down the hall towards the door. She stops short, her eyes wide, her jaw dropping slightly when she sees who's there.

"Mom," Polly nods. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"She may as well have," Betty mutters. Polly either doesn't hear or chooses to ignore her.

Betty can tell her mom has a lot to say about the situation, but Alice keeps her mouth shut, in case Polly grabs the twins and whisks them off, never to be seen again. So Alice smiles, and Betty smiles and Polly smiles, like there has never been any bad blood between them.

Betty watches her mom carefully as she interacts with Polly. They go into the living room and sit as far away from each other as possible, both still smiling, but both stiff and tense. Betty feels the same way. She takes a seat next to her mom on the couch.

"So… this is them," Alice says looking between the twins, her voice is a little watery, but her face betrays no signs of the emotions she must be feeling.

"Yep," Polly says. "This is Juniper, and this is Dagwood," she says, gesturing to each child in turn. Alice, to her credit, manages to keep a straight face, though Betty still grimaces at the names.

"Juni, Dags, say hello to your Grandma and Aunt Betty," Polly instructs. Juniper and Dagwood comply shyly, still sticking close to their mother.

"They're very well behaved," Alice notes.

"Yes, I've had absolutely no trouble with them at all. Everyone complains about the terrible twos but mine went straight from babies to absolute angels," Polly smiles. "I guess I must be doing something right."

Alice nods with a tight-lipped smile. "And how are you?" Alice asks.

"I'm great, Mom," Polly says, and for a moment she softens. Alice nods again. "Where's Dad, by the way?"

Betty's head flips towards her mom. Alice gives betty a reassuring look.

"Hal and I are no longer married," Alice tells Polly. "The divorce was finalised last year."

"Oh."

To Betty's relief, her mom doesn't continue. If Polly finds out Alice is now dating FP, the man who helped to cover up the murder of the father of her children, Betty is not so sure her sister would stay another second.

"So, why are you here, Polly?" Betty asks the question her mom won't. Polly gives her sister a cutting look.

"I've been thinking," Polly says. "I don't think it would be totally terrible if the twins got to know their biological family. I don't want them to have any negativity in their lives, and that includes my negative feelings towards you."

Alice purses her lips. "I'd love to get to know them."

"Me too," Betty adds. However mad she is at her sister for staying away for four years, she's not going to take that out on her niece and nephew, terrible names be damned.

"Great. I thought we could start by having you guys babysit them one night a week. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great," Alice says.

"Tomorrow night then?" Polly suggests. Alice nods, and Polly nods in return. She then takes her children with the promise that she'll return tomorrow night.

"Do you really think she's coming back?" Alice asks Betty as they watch Polly bundle the twins into her car.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Despite whatever reservations Betty and Alice have, Polly does indeed return the next night to drop off the twins. She gives Alice a list of things to remember, Betty a handful of toys and tells them to call if anything goes wrong. Then she kisses each child on the head and drives away.

"Well," Alice says, turning towards her grandchildren. "Do you want pizza for dinner?"

The night, to Betty's surprise, goes off without a hitch. Despite the initial shy demeanour of Juniper and Dagwood, it doesn't take the twins long to come out of their shells, and soon Juniper is bossing Betty around while Dagwood is giving Alice long winded stories about each of his toys.

"Grandma, can we have ice cream now?" Juniper asks, interrupting her brother telling Alice how is bear had been in a car accident and had to get his brain swapped with a real bear. Betty looks over at her mom and she swears Alice could cry with happiness at being called Grandma. Betty understands the feeling. The twins have been calling her "Aunt Betty" all night, and her heart swells every time. She really thinks her niece and nephew are already starting to love her.

"Sure, you can have ice cream," Alice smiles. "But don't tell your mom, okay?" she winks, and Betty has to hold back a laugh.

After ice cream, they put Juniper and Dagwood to bed in Polly's old room, and the twins insist on being read _two_ stories, one for each of them, before they will go to sleep.

"Okay, goodnight now," Alice says, closing the second book. "Sleep tight." She stands up from the bed and Betty follows her lead.

"Goodnight Grandma, goodnight Aunt Betty," they chorus. Betty switches off the light as she follows her mother out of the room, closing the door behind her. Alice can't keep the smile off her face.

* * *

The following babysitting session goes equally well, with Juniper and Dagwood only becoming more comfortable with their new-found family. Polly even seems to be warming up to Alice, something Betty thought she would never see.

It's the third weekend, and Betty is home again, not wanting to miss a single minute with the twins, and FP shows up not ten minutes before Polly and the twins are supposed to arrive.

"FP?" Betty frowns. "What are you doing here? If Polly sees you she'll freak out," Betty reminds him.

"You've got the twins tonight?" FP asks, seemingly confused. "Alice and I were meant to go and see that play she said she's been dying to see."

"Is that Polly?" Alice calls.

"It's FP!" Betty calls back. "Apparently you're supposed to have a date!" There's a moment of silence before Betty hears her mom running towards them.

"Oh my god," she says. "I completely forgot! I'm so sorry," she says to FP as she reaches the door. "Come inside," she says, pulling him inside. FP gives her a quick kiss while Betty shuts the door behind him.

"I'm really sorry," Alice repeats.

"Hey, fine by me," FP grins. "I didn't want to see it that much anyway."

"Aren't these those tickets you've had for months?" Betty reminds her. "The ones that were really hard to get?"

"Yes, Betty," Alice rolls her eyes. "I'm not sure what you want me to do. I can't just desert my grandchildren. Polly might never let me see them again."

"You should go," Betty tells her mom. "I can look after them."

"Alone?" Alice says dubiously.

"Hey, she's a big girl," FP says. "I'm sure she can handle it."

Alice doesn't look convinced.

"I'll ask Archie to come and help me," Betty says. Alice makes a face. "Come on! It will be fine!"

The doorbell rings.

"That will be Polly," Betty says to FP. "You better hide."

"You sound just like your mother when we first started dating and she didn't want anyone to know," FP jokes. Betty just pushes him into the kitchen. Alice goes to answer the door. Betty hears the twins joyful hello to their grandma and the sound of two pairs of little feet running into the house. Polly doesn't stick around long, just dropping the kids of and leaving. Maybe she's not warming up to Alice after all.

Alice appears in the kitchen with Juniper and Dagwood in tow.

"Who's that?" asks Dagwood.

"That's a man who you can never mention to your mother," Alice tells them.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Juniper sings. "Does that mean he's our grandpa?"

"No, don't be silly," Alice says. FP laughs delightedly. Alice shakes her head and turns to Betty. "Are you sure you're okay with looking after them on your own?" Alice bites her lip.

"Of course," Betty says, more confidently than she feels. Alice looks at FP, who shrugs. Alice looks back at Betty.

"Call Archie," Alice tells her. "And I'll go and get ready."

* * *

It's only been a week since Betty last saw Archie, but she feels like she's missed him all the same.

He shows up on the doorstep a minute after Betty calls him, after insisting that she wasn't putting him out or getting in the way of other plans. He's wearing a form fitting sweater and Betty thinks she's able to get in a sneaky glance down his body without him noticing. She may have a small crush on him again. It's no big deal.

"Hey," she says, unable to stop her smile from taking over her entire face.

"Hey," Archie grins back. "I hear you have some children that need looking after."

"That I do," Betty says.

"You called the right man for the job," says Archie. "I know absolutely nothing about children."

Betty lets out a tinkling laugh and steps aside so he can come in. She leads him to the living room where Juniper and Dagwood are interrogating FP about his intentions with their grandmother.

"And make sure you have her home at a reasonable time," Juniper is telling him.

"Of course, ma'am," FP says. He looks up at Betty and Archie. "Where do they get this stuff?"

"Well it can't be TV," Betty says snarkily. "I don't think cults allow TV."

"Sick burn," FP says. "Hey, Archie."

"Mr. Jones," Archie nods.

"What's a cult?" asks Dagwood. "And who's that?"

"This is Archie," Betty tells them, choosing to answer the easier question. A second later Alice is breezing into the living room, wearing a black dress and heels.

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper," Archie says.

"Please don't call me that," Alice grimaces. "Nice to see you, Archie. Ready, FP?" FP nods and stands up from the couch.

"Bye, kids," he says. Alice gestures for them to come over to her.

"Be nice to Aunt Betty and Archie, okay?" she says, squatting down to their level. They nod and she gives each of them a kiss on the head. "Have fun!" she calls as FP grabs her hand and leads her out of the house.

"Can we have ice cream?" Juniper asks as soon as Alice and FP are gone.

* * *

The twins fall into an easy rapport with Archie, probably going off Betty's example. Archie plays with them in the living room with the toy cars Dagwood has brought with him, while Betty gets dinner ready.

She wanders into the living room when the spaghetti is done and finds Archie lying on the ground, Dagwood rolling cars over his chest and Juniper tying tiny elastics into his hair. Betty smiles fondly at the scene before her, and she almost can't bring herself to tell them dinner is ready. Juniper looks up and notices her standing there.

"Aunt Betty, I'm going to be a hairdresser when I grow up," she says.

"Is that so?" Betty laughs.

"Does it look good?" asks Archie.

"You look beautiful," Betty tells him, holding back her laughter.

"Can I do your hair?" Juniper asks.

"Sure," Betty tells her. "But after dinner. It's ready now."

Archie sits up, his hair sticking out in all the places Juniper has tied elastics.

"Ready for dinner?" he asks Dagwood. Dagwood nods and Archie grabs the boy as he stands up and swings him over his shoulder. "Let's go!"

"Ohh carry me too!" Juniper begs.

"Aunt Betty?" Archie looks to Betty.

"No! I want you to carry me Uncle Archie!"

Betty is not surprised the kids love Archie. It's hard not to love him. She _is_ surprised at the use of the word uncle. No one had told them to call him that. But Archie doesn't even bat an eye at being called uncle.

"I can't carry you both!" he tells Juniper. "I'll have to come back for you," he says. Juniper pouts, but she stays where she is until Archie comes back for her.

After dinner, they decide to put on a movie. Juniper and Dagwood want to watch Frozen, and Archie and Betty don't, so they compromise and watch Frozen. It's just easier that way. Juniper does Betty's hair until Let It Go comes on, when she decides she needs to put on her own performance of the song. Betty laughs as Archie joins in, though he doesn't quite know the words as well as Juni does.

The twins seem to get bored of the movie after that, and want to chat. Well, they want to chat with Archie. But that's okay with Betty, she likes watching him interact with them. He's so good with them, so patient. He's going to make a great dad someday.

"Uncle Archie, where do you live?" Dagwood asks.

"I live next door," Archie answers.

"Do you have a dog?" Juniper asks.

Archie laughs, shaking his head. "I did once but he died," he says.

"My rabbit died," Dagwood tells him.

"Is that so, Dagwood?" Archie says interestedly. "Do you have a nickname, Dagwood?"

"Mom sometimes calls me Dags," Dagwood says.

"Mom calls me Juni or June!" Juniper interjects. "But I wish I was called Elsa."

"We can call you Elsa if you like," Betty says. Anything is better than Juniper.

"Can you call me Sword Monster?" Dagwood asks.

"Absolutely," Archie laughs.

"What should we call you then?" Juniper questions.

"You can call me Uncle Archie," Archie says.

"When are you going to get married?" Juniper asks. Archie raises his eyebrows.

"I don't know," he says. "Do you think I need to get married soon?"

"Yes!" Juniper says. "I want to come to the wedding! Can I be your flower girl Aunt Betty?"

"What?" Betty says, confused. She hadn't thought she was a part of this conversation. She's quite happy listening to Archie answer their ridiculous questions.

"Can I be your flower girl when you marry Archie?"

 _Oh,_ Betty thinks, turning pink. The twins think she and Archie are a couple. _That's_ why they're calling him uncle. She's not sure how to break it to them that they're not.

"Well…" Betty starts, looking to Archie for help. He's looking at her just as expectantly as the twins though. "Maybe we should discuss this another time," she finally settles on. "I think it's time for you two to get to bed."

"Noo!" Juniper and Dagwood chorus.

"Yes!" Betty insists. "If you go to bed now then Uncle Archie will read you a story."

"Two stories," Dagwood barters.

"Two stories," Betty agrees. The twins seem pleased with this deal, and hurry upstairs to brush their teeth.

Betty and Archie follow them up, and tuck them into bed. Juniper hands Archie a book to read and he sits on the end of the bed to read it. Betty sits beside him on the bed, her legs folded under her. She's unable to keep a smile from creeping across her face as she listens to Archie read, putting on different voices, Juniper and Dagwood watching on intently. He finishes the book and puts it down.

"Okay, what's the next book?" he asks.

"We don't have another one," Dagwood says.

"Make one up!" Juniper demands.

"Uh, okay," Archie says, looking at Betty nervously. "Once upon a time there was… a princess," he starts. Betty watches him struggle, amused. "The princess was the kindest and most beautiful girl in all the land."

"What was her name?"

"Um. Elizabeth," Archie says. "Princess Elizabeth was best friend with the prince from the neighbouring kingdom. When they were young they promised each other they would get married as soon as they were old enough.

But as the years went by, the prince began to realise that the princess could find a much better husband than him. And besides that, he thought there was a lot he had to do before he got married."

"Like fight dragons and save damsels in distress?" Juniper asks.

"Something like that."

"Did he have a sword?" asks Dagwood.

"Of course."

The twins fall silent again and Archie continues.

"So the princess asked him to marry her when they were old enough, but he said no," he looks to Betty. She looks away. Why is he telling them this story? Why is he bringing up what happened all those years ago? She's long forgiven him, he knows that.

"Does this story have a happy ending?" Betty asks him.

"I hope it does," Archie swallows.

"Don't interrupt!" Juniper tells Betty. "What did the stupid prince do next?"

Betty laughs at that, and Archie makes a face somewhere between amusement and pain.

"He went off and fought dragons and saved damsels in distress," Archie says. "But he couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if he'd married the princess."

Betty's heart clenches.

"So once all the damsels were saved and the dragons were defeated, he came back to the kingdom to see if she would still marry him."

"And did she?" Juniper asks. Archie looks to Betty. She slips her hand into his and gives it a squeeze.

"Yes," Betty finishes the story. Archie grins and looks back at the twins.

"And they lived happily ever after," he concludes.

"That story was dumb," Dagwood says. Archie laughs.

"Sorry guys, that's all I've got," Archie shrugs.

"Okay, you got your stories, time to go to sleep now," Betty tells them. She stands up, Archie's hand still in hers. "Goodnight," she says to the twins.

"Goodnight Aunt Betty, Goodnight Uncle Archie," they chorus back. Archie gives them a fond smile and Betty leads him from the room, not sure what she's going to say to him once they're alone.

"Safe to say you won't be writing any children's books any time soon," she jokes, once the door to Polly's old room is closed.

"Betty," Archie says. She turns to him, and he pulls her closer, using the hands they still have intertwined. Betty's stomach lurches. He touches his forehead to hers and Betty closes her eyes, tilting her head up, letting out a sigh of contentment. He kisses her then, softly, and Betty kisses him back. It only lasts a few second before they both pull away, though they don't put any distance between one another.

"Archie?" Betty whispers.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think we should get married just yet," she smiles, and Archie chuckles.

"No, you're probably right," he agrees. "One day, though."


	2. It Could Stay This Simple

It's Betty's first birthday since she and Archie became a couple, and Archie is determined to make it great. And honestly, is there anything Betty likes more than a surprise party?

At his request, Alice has told Betty she can't have a party at their house and will have to make do with a nice dinner. Betty had been a little disappointed, so Archie knows she's going to love the party. The only problem is, it's one week away and Archie isn't even slightly organised. Betty would probably say it's Classic Archie, and she probably wouldn't be wrong.

"Archie," Alice Cooper tilts her head as she opens her front door. The jury is still out on whether Alice actually likes him or just tolerates him for Betty's sake. He'll take either.

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper," Archie greets her.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Alice scolds him gently.

"Sorry. Alice," he corrects himself. "Betty's not home, is she?"

Alice shakes her head, confirming what Archie had already known. Betty is staying in New York this weekend to get some studying done. But she'll definitely be home for her birthday next weekend.

"I was hoping I could talk to you about the party," Archie continues. Alice is about to answer, but she's interrupted by two tiny humans jumping out from behind the door excitedly.

"A party!" Juniper exclaims. "What party?"

"Can we come?" Dagwood asks.

"You'll have to ask your mom and your grandma," Archie tells them diplomatically. Alice rolls her eyes.

"Come inside, Archie," she sighs. "I wasn't exactly going to tell them about the party," Alice says as she leads Archie into the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Water, please."

"What party?" Juniper asks again.

"It's a birthday party for your Aunt Betty," Archie tells them. "But it's a surprise, so you can't tell her, okay?"

"A surprise party! Can we help?" Juniper begs. Archie looks to Alice. She gives him a look that says _look what you've started._ Archie grins sheepishly.

"Sure, you can help," he says. "What do you want to do?"

"They're four, Archie," Alice says in exasperation. "They aren't exactly up to handling the guest list."

"Well, lucky I've already taken care of that part," Archie says.

"And that's the only thing you've taken care of. Apparently, we're going to have a lot of people but no food, no music, and no decorations," Alice huffs.

"Well, maybe the twins can help me with decorations," Archie suggests. "Would you like that?" he asks them.

"Maybe you should delegate some of the other tasks. Do you want me to take care of the cake?" Alice offers.

"That would great! Thanks, Mrs. Coo—I mean, Alice," Archie grins.

"And maybe you can ask Veronica or Jughead to help with the rest of the food," Alice continues. "I assume you can handle the music part on your own?" She raises an eyebrow at him, and he knows she's trying to seem disapproving, but she accidentally smirks a little and Archie can't help but grin. She totally approves of him.

* * *

Archie takes a trip to a craft store to get supplies for decoration making, and when he returns, Alice has laid out newspaper pages all over the living room floor.

"I won't have you getting glue or paint all over the carpet," she tells him. Archie shakes his head, grinning, and takes the supplies into the living room where the twins are already waiting for him.

"Alright, kids, it's decorating time!" Archie announces.

Archie is soon very glad Alice put the paper down, as Juniper and Dagwood make a quick mess of things. They start out making paper chains to hang on the wall, but the twins soon get bored of that and decide to make happy birthday signs. They can't spell yet, so Archie traces the letters out for them and then they paint over them. Not very well, but you can still vaguely tell that it's supposed to say _Happy Birthday Betty_. Betty will appreciate it anyway.

Alice walks into the living room as Archie is finishing up his last paper chain. The room is a mess and the twins have paint all over themselves.

"I hope you're going to clean this up, Archibald," she says. "I'm not giving Polly her children back like that."

Archie takes the twins to the bathroom to get the paint off their hands and faces. They squirm and chatter the whole time, but eventually he manages to get their skin clean. There isn't much he can do about their clothes though. Perhaps he should have invested in some art smocks.

He leaves a disgruntled Alice to deal with the clothes, grinning sheepishly as he leaves, promising the twins he'll see them next weekend.

* * *

A week later, with the help of Alice, Veronica and Jughead, Archie finally has a semi decent party organised.

"Honestly, Archiekins, you really should have put me in charge of the party planning," Veronica tells him, watching as he hangs the paper chains he made.

"I think he's done a great job," Jughead says. Arche gives him a grateful look. "Betty's going to love it," Jughead continues. "Especially these posters." He picks Dagwood's poster up by the corner. "Good thing you're studying music and not art," he grimaces.

"You're hilarious," Archie jumps down from the stool he's been using to hang the paper chains. "Veronica, aren't you meant to be meeting Betty at your place?"

"Okay, I get the message, you want us out of your hair," Veronica puts her hands up.

"You guys are clear on the plan, right?" Archie says.

" _Yes,_ Archie," Veronica huffs. "Everything is going to go swimmingly," she smiles. Jughead nods in agreement.

Archie exhales. He really hopes his friends are right.

* * *

Archie goes to pick Betty up from Veronica's at promptly 7pm. She looks amazing, as always, and her shy smile still gives him butterflies.

"Ready to go?" he asks her with a smile of his own. She nods and follows him to his car. "Sorry your mom said you couldn't have a party," he says.

"It's okay," Betty shrugs. "Dinner will be nice. If Mom and Dad can be civil the whole time," she grimaces.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Archie assures her.

They head to the fanciest restaurant in town, since Alice has insisted on paying for everyone, even Hal. Alice and Polly are already seated at a table when Archie and Betty arrive, and Hal arrives a second later. It's almost like he was waiting in the carpark for them so he didn't have to go in and sit with Alice and Polly alone. The two women sit in silence until Archie and Betty sit down.

"Polly!" Betty gives her sister a hug before sitting down across from her. Archie takes the seat across from Alice, next to Betty. "Who's looking after the twins tonight?" Betty asks as Hal joins them at the head of the table, between Polly and Betty.

"Cheryl has the twins tonight," Polly says. "Hi, Dad," Polly nods.

"Girls," Hal returns. "Archie. Alice."

"Hello, Hal," Alice says with a fake smile. "Shall we order?"

"Yeah, I want to get home to the kids as soon as possible," Polly says. "Cheryl has her girlfriend over tonight, and it's not that I don't trust her, and I'm coming around on the Serpents since meeting Toni, but I'm feeling a little anxious."

Archie's feeling a little anxious himself, if he's honest. He's pretty confident Betty doesn't suspect a thing, but he can't help wondering how things are going back at the Coopers house, and whether or not everything is going according to plan. Betty must sense his anxiety as she places a hand on his knee under the table, rubbing it softly.

"Hey," she says gently. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Archie says quickly. "I think I'm going to have a burger." Betty smirks a little, shaking her head. He knows exactly what she's thinking. _Classic Archie, ordering a burger from the fanciest restaurant in town._ At least she finds it endearing.

They haven't even ordered their food when Polly gets the prearranged call from Cheryl. She puts down the phone, looking sufficiently worried, those enormous green eyes almost popping out of her head. Maybe Polly should consider a career in acting.

"That was Cheryl," Polly says. "Something is wrong with Juniper, we have to go, right now."

"Oh my god!" Betty says. "Yes, let's go."

"I'll take you home," Archie says to Betty.

"Maybe I should go with Polly, maybe I can help," Betty says. Maybe _there's something wrong with Juniper_ wasn't the best cover story for why they have to leave dinner early.

"I'll go," says Alice gently. "You go with Archie and we'll call you when we find out what's wrong."

Betty nods and lets Archie take her hand and lead her to his car.

"Juniper is going to be fine," Archie assures her. Betty nods again, and Archie curses himself for making her worry. Why had everyone agreed to this plan? He's even more anxious now as he drives back to the Cooper house. What if Betty hates him for making her think her niece was in danger.

The house is dark and quiet as he pulls up out the front, and he almost thinks maybe everyone forgot about the party. He glances up the street to see Hal's car pulling into the street, and then Alice and Polly right behind him.

"Let's go inside," he says to Betty. Betty nods and takes his hand as the ascend the front steps. Betty puts her key in the lock and swings the door open and—

"SURPRISE!"

"Oh my god, you guys!" Betty places a hand on her chest. "I'm so surprised!" She looks to Archie smiling. He squints at her.

"You knew, didn't you?" he guesses. Betty laughs.

"Kind of," she grins. She gestures to where Cheryl and Toni are each holding a twin, each one holding their hand made happy birthday sign. "The twins are terrible secret keepers."

Archie shakes his head. He can't really be mad at the twins. Alice had warned him.

"Well, happy birthday," he says with a wry smile, and Betty gives him a peck on the lips.

"Thanks, Archie," she says. "I love it. And I love you."

"Gross!" Cheryl interjects. "If I have to watch one more second of this barf-fest I'm leaving. Can we get to the party, already?"

"Why is she invited, again?" Betty asks Archie, as everyone takes Cheryl's cue to start up their own conversations.

"Family, or something like that," Archie shrugs.

"Right, family," Betty nods, smiling. She kisses him again. "What would I do without them, huh?"


	3. You'll Never Have to be Alone

**Prompt: Archie finally proposes to Betty**

* * *

When Archie finds out that Cheryl has proposed to Toni, and that they're now engaged, he's irrationally annoyed about it. Not because he doesn't think they should get married (in fact, they're weirdly perfect for each other), but because, well, they kind of stole his thunder.

He's had the ring hidden in the pocket of a coat he never wears for months now, waiting for the right time, planning the perfect night. But with Cheryl and Toni getting engaged less than a week ago, if he proposed to Betty _now_ , it would kind of seem like _he_ was stealing _their_ thunder, and not the other way around. If they're families weren't so weirdly interconnected now, it would be fine, but with Hal dating Penelope, and Cheryl being Juniper and Dagwood's aunt, it seems like the Coopers and the Blossoms are destined to be in each other's lives forever. (Plus the whole Jason and Polly were cousin's thing. But he's not thinking about that.)

So he has to re-evaluate his proposal plans, and the ring stays hidden.

Cheryl, of course, has to throw an extravagant engagement party, which she'd already started planning a month before she'd actually proposed to Toni.

Betty waves the fancy red and gold embossed invitation in Archie's face.

"We can probably swing a visit to Riverdale in a month's time, right?" she asks, plopping herself beside him on the couch. They've been living together in a crappy apartment in New York for the past three months, Betty in her last year of college and Archie bartending in between the occasional gig.

"You know I'd do anything for Cheryl," Archie jokes. Betty elbows him affectionately.

"It's not for Cheryl," she pouts, "it's for me."

"Ah, well in that case, no way," Archie screws up his face. "I hate doing things for you."

"You're the worst," Betty tells him. Archie just laughs and leans in to kiss her.

"I love you," he says.

"I know," Betty replies softly. "But you're not getting out of going to this engagement party."

* * *

The party is being held at Thornhill, though Cheryl doesn't live there anymore, and as soon as Archie walks through the front door with Betty's hand in his, he feels like his walked into a scene from some kind of period movie.

"Since when does Cheryl have so many friends?" Archie whispers. A solemn looking man at the door takes their coats. "And why does this place look so different?"

"Betty, Archie," Cheryl appears beside them, a smile on her face. She's wearing a blood red gown, her lips painted a matching shade. "So glad you could make it."

"Congratulations, Cheryl," Betty says. Archie echoes the sentiments. Whatever has happened between Cheryl and Betty, or Cheryl and Archie over the years, they really are happy for her.

"Thank you," Cheryl replies. "Gifts can be placed on the table in the living room," she tells them, and flounces off, flicking her long red hair in Archie's face as she goes.

"It's nice to know that some things never change," Betty says wryly. She leads them into the living room to place the gift they've brought on the table, as per Cheryl's instructions. They spot Toni chatting to Jughead, and once Betty has off-loaded the gift they head over to congratulate the other half of the engaged couple.

Toni isn't dressed in a gown like Cheryl is, but she is wearing the glitteriest pants Archie has ever seen.

"Hey, Toni, congratulations," Archie says, holding his hand out for her to shake, then to Jughead to do the same. "Jughead."

"Congrats, Toni," Betty agrees. "You're so lucky." Archie goes his best not to pout at that. Betty would be engaged right now if it weren't for Cheryl's terrible timing.

"I was just telling her how _unlucky_ she is to be stuck with Cheryl for the rest of her life," Jughead grimaces.

"Hey, be nice," Toni admonishes. "You'd like her if you just gave her a chance."

"I highly doubt that," Jughead rolls his eyes.

"You want to see the ring?" Toni asks, already holding her hand out. It's a gold band, a small diamond framed by a couple of golden swirls. The ring hidden in the closet at home for Betty is much nicer. Archie feels a stab of resentment.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Betty gushes. "Isn't it Arch?"

"It's okay, I guess," he mutters, and she frowns at him in confusion. "I mean, it's lovely, Toni. Sorry."

"Did you get one for Cheryl?" Betty asks. Toni gives a moment of thought, a secret forming on her lips.

"Okay, don't say anything, but I bought one for her like a week before she proposed, because _I_ was going to propose. I'm going to give it to her tonight," Toni says, smirking. Betty has that look in her eye like that's the sweetest thing she's ever heard of. Archie scoffs, but manages to disguise it as a cough before anyone notices.

"Should we get some drinks?" Archie asks. "Where's the bar around here?"

"Dining room," Toni nods in the direction of the dining room. Archie and Betty murmur more words of congratulations before setting off in said direction.

Once drinks are in hand, the two of them venture into the crowd to mingle. Archie is pretty sure most of the people here are distant Blossom relatives, but there is also a mix of Serpents and ex Riverdale High students scattered amongst the crowd. It's a strange collection of people.

Though Archie is feeling a little dejected, knowing that _he_ should be having an engagement party right now, instead of Cheryl and Toni, Betty manages to get him to dance with her, and he cheers up for a few minutes, until Cheryl's shrill voice fills the room, the music coming to a stop.

"Listen up, people!" Cheryl says at the top of her voice. She smiles as people file into the living room, everyone crowding around to listen to her. Toni appears beside her, slipping her hand into her fiancée's. Cheryl's voice is softer when she speaks again. "Thank you all for coming," Cheryl announces. "I just wanted to say how happy I am to be engaged to this incredible woman. I'm so lucky she said yes when I proposed. Which, of course, I knew she would." Cheryl beams at Toni who grins back at her.

"And I'm so grateful that all of you are here to celebrate with me, and who have all been so supportive of our relationship," Cheryl continues. "So let's raise a glass to the two most beautiful bisexuals in Riverdale! Nay, in the whole world!"

"To Cheryl and Toni!" someone in the crowd yells, and the rest of the guests echo in a failed attempt at unison.

"I also have something to say," Toni says, addressing the crowd. "Cheryl, I'm so happy you proposed, and I love you so much," she says, turning to her fiancée. Archie swears he sees Cheryl blush. "And I know this is basically redundant, but I wanted to do it anyway."

Toni gets to one knee and pulls out the ring she bought for Cheryl. Cheryl looks astonished. As if they aren't already engaged.

"Marry me?" Toni grins. Cheryl smiles, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You're incredible," Cheryl says. "Of course I'll marry you."

Archie claps along with the rest of the crowd of cheering friends and family, as Toni stands and slips the ring onto Cheryl's finger. He glances at Betty just as she wipes a tear away. He grabs her free hand and squeezes.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice low.

"Yeah," Betty nods. "I'm just really happy they found each other."

Archie should be happy for them too. And he is, really. Deep down. But on the surface, he's still just annoyed _he's_ not the engaged one. He's not doing a very good job of hiding it, either.

"What about you?" Betty whispers. "Are you okay?"

Archie shrugs. "Just tired, I guess," he lies.

"Do you want to go?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired too. We've done our duty."

Archie nods, and as the crowd disperses back into various rooms and the music starts blaring again, he and Betty slip out the front door.

He's silent on the way home, and Betty follows his lead, staying quiet as well. He feels a little guilty for acting like such a dick all night. It's not her fault Cheryl ruined his plans.

He pulls into his old driveway, the porch light on but the rest of the house dark. His dad has already gone to bed.

"Hey," Betty says softly, taking Archie's hand as he unlocks the front door. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird all night."

Archie pushes the door open. "Yeah," he sighs. They walk inside and Betty closes the door behind them. "It's just… it should have been us, you know?" he says without thinking. Too late, he realises what he's said.

"What do you mean?" Betty asks, confused.

"Nothing," he says quickly. He turns away so Betty can't read his expression but she grabs him by the arm and he turns back to her reluctantly. The only visible light is the porch light gleaming through the window. Maybe she can't see his face that well.

"Arch?" she says, her voice soft and hesitant. He can see the gears working in her mind. "Were you…" she stops. She's guessed, but she thinks she could be wrong, so she doesn't say it out loud.

"I bought you a ring," Archie whispers. Betty's eyes widen.

"You were going to propose?" she says, her voice a little squeaky.

"Like, a month ago," Archie sighs. "But Cheryl beat me to it. And this is so not how you were supposed to find out."

"I don't care," Betty says, her face breaking into a grin. The smile is infectious, and Archie can't help but smile along with her. He tugs her close.

"Betty, will you marry me?" he asks, whispering the question into her hair. He doesn't think his heart has ever beat so hard.

"Well, I've already turned you down twice. If I do it again you may not ever marry me," Betty laughs softly. Archie pulls back slightly to look in her eyes.

"Betty," he says. He needs to hear her say it. She leans up to kiss him, drawing it out before pulling away.

"Yes, Archie," she says, her green eyes full of warmth and love. "I'll marry you."


End file.
